


Erasure

by Jameva



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23976277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameva/pseuds/Jameva
Summary: Cloud adopts a kitten.Sephiroth sleeps on the couch.Zack wins some, loses some.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 69





	Erasure

**Author's Note:**

> Fluffly AU post-everything where Zack is alive, Sephiroth is alive, sane and forgiven, and they happily live together somewhere, doing something. The details don't matter.

Thunder boomed overhead. The forest felt like a moonless night despite it being the middle of the afternoon.

Cloud sat against a crooked, grey trunk. Pelting rain fell against the canopy and drizzled through in fat, inconsistent drops. Nahia crouched grumpily beside him, her crest feathers twitching constantly. Cloud regretted subjecting her to this, but was grateful not to have taken Fenrir out.

The tools sat in the waterproof saddlebags, safe. All he could do was wait.

Time inched slowly forward and the storm abated on pace with the fading afternoon. It was close to evening when Cloud noticed that Nahia's attention was on a specific point further away in the underbrush. Her crest stood straight and her head was very still.

Cloud settled his grip on the pommel of his sword and eased his feet underneath him.

Nahia clacked her beak a few times and stood suddenly with a decided wark. She rushed forward and Cloud followed, curious. She did not react this way to monsters.

They did not have to go far. Very quickly Nahia reached her quarry. With one lightning-fast snap of her neck, she snatched whatever it was she had heard and extracted it from the undergrowth. 

She turned to him, warbling in the back of her throat. Soaked and quite thoroughly helpless, a dirty ball of fur dangled from her beak, mewing piteously. Nahia settled down and fluffed her feathers against the rain. 

Cloud etched a smile and stepped forward. "Nahia, give," he ordered with an extended hand. The chocobo _kwhed_ and made to deposit the kitten under her sizeable wing. "You'll smother it. Come on."

Nahia allowed him to pry the animal from her beak. It was frightened, but unharmed. He sat against her side so she could raise her wing around him. 

"Now I'm jealous," he drawled. She never did that just for him.

Ignoring her inquisitive beak, Cloud opened his hands to inspect her catch. The kitten was young, feelingly emaciated and its fur crawled with fleas. They were far from any settlements. He wondered if the mother was close. Was the kitten old enough to be weaned? He had no idea.

Cloud debated whether he should put it back to wait for its mom. It was trembling. Fear, cold, or both. It had no energy to do much else. Finally Cloud opened his coat and gently tucked the kitten in his inner pocket. It mewed and shuffled in place. As he closed his coat, it settled against the warmth of his ribs and grew quiet.

He considered. Nahia was trying to probe his pocket. 

"Is the storm quiet enough for you to go back?"

Nahia warbled and insisted against his hand keeping her away from the lump at his stomach.

"Alright. Don't come complaining to me after."

\---

Sephiroth came back nearer to dawn than midnight. He could have spent the rainy night in town, but had felt compelled to push on. He was exhausted.

Moving carefully, allowing a breath of noise to bridge the gap between _predator_ and _consideration,_ he shed his humid clothes. He opened no lights. What little he could see was enough.

Cloud and Zack were both still asleep when he stepped into the bedroom. He hesitated, loath to bother them. Zack was sprawled generously across most of half of the bed, while Cloud lay on his side, one arm out of the covers, unencumbered. This type of scene, although no longer uncommon, still felt quite surreal. Sephiroth allowed himself a short moment to appreciate his ability to freely consider the sentiment. 

  
Cloud had invaded his space. Sephiroth briefly considered going for the couch. It would be impossible not to wake him up now. 

As he considered, an unusual ball of darkness shifted on his pillow, above where Cloud had sunk his cheek where Sephiroth would normally rest. Sephiroth frowned and warily leaned closer. 

His eyebrows rose steadily upward as a scraggly fluffy tail twitched up and resettled itself across Cloud’s nose. What was unmistakably a kitten mewed dazedly, sunk all paws in Cloud’s hair and rubbed its head against him until it had nearly disappeared amongst the blond hair. 

Sephiroth straightened and considered his options, keeping the notion of _what in the name of_ for the morning. He could disturb both Cloud and the…. cat, so he could lay down. Or he could go for the couch. 

Cloud wrinkled his face, tickled by fur, and dug his nose deeper into Sephiroth’s pillow. 

Something light yet foreign settled under his ribs. Zack would call it warm and fuzzy. Sephiroth sighed. He turned quietly and headed for the linen closet. 

\---

Zack was unsurprised and exasperated to find Sephiroth sleeping on the couch, long legs dangling off the end. He had managed to remain quiet enough that neither Cloud nor he had woken up. Again. 

He tiptoed his way around the couch and leaned to place a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. That’s when he noticed Maduin playing with those strands of Sephiroth’s hair that had slipped from the couch to dangle within kitten reach.

_“Shit,”_ he cursed under his breath. “Stop that!”

Zack caught Maduin under the belly. It only made her play more desperately with her prey, paws twitching uncoordinatedly as she tried to keep hold of her prize.

Of course, Sephiroth’s eyes were open before he had finished pulling her away. Crap.

“Good morning!” Zack exclaimed, ignoring all the grumpiness Sephiroth passed off as aloofness. “Sorry she woke you. We should’ve thought of that.”

Down the hall, the shower turned on. Zack set Maduin down and she swiped his ankles before hopping away.

Sephiroth sat up slowly, eyeing her as she investigated the room.

“I see you two had an interesting day yesterday.”

“Cloud did,” Zack replied easily. “I claim no responsibility for this one.”

Sephiroth’s eyebrow had that slant to it that made Zack want to mess with him. 

“Cloud bought a cat?”

“Rescued. Her name is Maduin. Cloud got her cleaned up and found some food for her. She looks healthy enough, if starved.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “We do not lead a lifestyle that allows us to care for pets. Nahia is complicated enough.”

Zack barked a laugh. “I might be thick-skulled, but that’s a wall even I’m not going to bang my head against. Tea?” he offered.

If Sephiroth was the type to groan, he would have. He pinched the bridge of his nose quietly. “Please.”

Zack filled the kettle and prepared two mugs with each of Cloud’s and Sephiroth’s prefered blends. He made himself coffee.

By the time he was done, Cloud had emerged from the bathroom. His hair was wet and he hadn’t dried himself properly. Zack let his eyes travel lazily up and down his still-damp shirt and he smiled at how it clung to his skin.

“Morning,” he purred, offering his mug. 

Cloud took it and reached over to grab Sephiroth’s mug as well. His chest was barely a hair away from Zack’s; if he inhaled deeply enough he would bridge the gap. Zack could feel the residual heat from the shower against his bare arms. “Good morning,” Cloud said, voice just a bit too low, words just a bit too slow. He retreated and looked Zack in the eye. He was smiling that sly half smile, the one he cast from under his hair that was all promises and intent. Without another word, he stepped away to hand Sephiroth his tea.

The little shit was doing it on purpose. Zack could feel heat crawl up his spine and knew his pupils had blown wide. 

The exasperation had leached from Sephiroth’s shoulders. He graciously accepted the tea and, making sure he maintained eye contact with Zack, he reached up with one hand to pull on Cloud’s shirt, drawing him down for a morning kiss that was just on the good side of _hot._

_Motherfuckers._ Zack smacked his mug on the counter and made to join them.

Maduin attacked his ankles. 

“Oy!” he exclaimed. “Claws!” Maduin took a last swipe before scampering to Cloud, tail up.

Cloud reached down and plucked her up into his arms. She mewed and bumped his chin when he brought her against his chest. 

“Maduin,” Sephiroth mused into his tea, pleased as a coeurl with a full belly, “the holy guardian said to harness the powers of the gods, or spirits, against its enemies. That is quite a namesake.”

“She needed help,” Cloud replied, ignoring Zack’s indignant gawk. “Still does. She’s too skinny.”

“Was she abandoned?”

Cloud shrugged. “She was starving in the forest. She probably would’ve died of exposure if Nahia hadn’t found her.”

Sephiroth blinked at that.

“Nahia _found_ her?”

Shelving the little… spectacle for future reference, Zack huffed and poured himself cereals while Cloud recounted his story. He wasn’t particularly enamored with the idea of having a cat, but Cloud definitely was, and that was all Zack had ever really needed. 

He was more preoccupied with Sephiroth’s unfortunate habit of trying to erase all traces of his own existence whenever he thought it would inconvenience either of them. 

“Do you know how to care for cats?” Sephiroth finally asked.

“A bit. There were a couple around Nibelheim. I’ll figure it out.”

“What will you do when we are gone for extended periods of time?”

Despite clearly loving Cloud already, Maduin was growing restless. Cloud set her back down and she set to attack a ball of crumpled aluminium foil Zack had made for her.

If Cloud was annoyed at being questioned like a teenager trying to bring home a stray, he did not let on. He sat beside Sephiroth on top of the linens. “I’m going to train her to ride with me.”

Sephiroth almost choked on his tea. He paused, swallowed painfully, and slanted Cloud a disbelieving stare. 

“I’ve seen army dogs trained to do weirder stunts. I’ll rig her a carrier for my bike and chocobo saddle.”

Zack felt vindicated as he watched Sephiroth struggle with the notion. He'd had his own turn the previous evening.

“I see,” was all Sephiroth managed to say. To his credit, he did not bring up the possibility of not keeping her. Zack smiled around his spoon. He knew when to choose his battles. Sephiroth studied their newest addition as she played around the living room.

“She likes you,” Sephiroth said. 

Cloud shrugged dismissively. “I was just the first person to give her a break.”

“She stole my pillow to sleep on your head,” Sephiroth drawled, driving his point with a precisely arched eyebrow. 

Zack laughed around his spoon. “So _that_ ’s why you took the couch!”

Cloud had the grace to look a little embarrassed. “Why didn’t you move her?”

Sephiroth’s eyes shuttered with wariness. He stood to begin tidying the couch, avoiding the question. Cloud had no choice but to move. He settled his eyes on Sephiroth’s back as he sipped his tea, tracking Sephiroth's movements with the same focus he applied to studying a monster to ambush. 

Zack knew the weight of it. He could feel ants crawling up the back of his neck even without being the recipient. 

Sephiroth made it to the pillow before surrendering.

“I did not want to wake either of you.”

Perhaps he truly believed he did such things out of consideration rather than guilt. Zack wanted to smack his head until the fool notion dribbled out his ears. He reigned the impulse in; he felt that a slightly more tactful approach was necessary in this case.

“You know, Seph, if you let her get away with it now she’ll never stop. You’ll never get your pillow back,” Zack pointed out. 

“Are you the expert, then?”

“Hey, it can’t be that different from the K9 units, right? That’s what the handlers used to say, anyway.” Zack had no idea how to begin to care for a cat but neither did Sephiroth. He could leverage that.

“I think Zack is right,” Cloud contributed. “Just move her next time. I can go back to sleep.”

Not always, Zack thought quietly. But that wasn’t the point. 

“You really can’t continue sleeping on the couch,” Zack declared bluntly. “If anything it’s making things worse." Sephiroth stiffened. Zack did not relent. "We’re getting used to all that space, we’ll push you off tonight.”

Sephiroth had that pinched expression he took whenever Zack joked while he tried to be serious. “Perhaps you’ll be the one Cloud pushes off.”

Zack grinned cheekily. “He won’t. Even in sleep he knows if he tries that I’ll take him down with me.”

Maduin had wandered back. She began trying to scale Sephiroth’s pajama pants. Sephiroth looked down and considered her for a short moment. “We can’t let her get away with things, yes?” He leaned forward and snatched her up, setting her back down beside his foot. “No.”

She immediately tried again. Cloud was laughing behind his cup. Zack was laughing openly. Sephiroth tried a few more times, unsuccessfully. Finally, in a bid to save his pants, he sat and placed her directly into his lap. She proceeded to swat at his hair. 

“If this is a reflection of her character, none of us will ever sleep if I try removing her from my pillow.” He wore the same mask he would put on to endure extended parades or speeches. 

Zack set his spoon down with a bit more force than necessary. “Seph,” he began. Sephiroth was keeping his hair just out of reach of Maduin’s claws, but close enough to keep her interested. She was ecstatic.

“We want you to disturb us, alright? I don’t know how else to say it. That’s part of the deal. We wouldn’t care about you if we wouldn’t rather be woken up so you can sleep in your own goddam bed.”

Sephiroth refused to meet either of their stares and concentrated instead on Maduin. “I simply wish you both a sound sleep. I do not understand your opposition to this.”

“I _don’t_ sleep soundly when you’re not there,” Cloud retorted firmly, almost a challenge. 

Finally, Sephiroth raised his eyes from Maduin’s antics to meet Cloud’s stubbornness. Cloud leaned forward and brought their heads close.

“When either you or Zack aren’t there I sleep like I do when I’m alone in the wild.”

Sephiroth’s eyes twitched like he’d been hit. 

“Yeah,” Zack echoed, gently. “The only reason you manage not to wake us up coming in is because, well, you’re you.”

This time Sephiroth did flinch. Minutely, near imperceptibly, but they saw.

The times were few when it was a good idea to remind Sephiroth of his history. It was still a fresh scab; poke at it too much and it would break open. Forget that it was there, however, and one careless movement would yield the same result.

Cloud closed the distance and kissed Sephiroth lightly. “You will always have priority over a cat,” he declared, much too seriously. His expression was open.

Sephiroth raised his chin imperiously. “How very gracious.”

Zack made his way behind the couch and let his hands fall on Sephiroth’s shoulders. “Let’s make a deal. Promise to bother us if you need to when you get home late, and we’ll do the same.

A moment passed in silence. Zack was content to wait him out as he mulled it all over. Slowly, Sephiroth leaned his head back so he could look upwards at Zack. 

“Deal.”

“Excellent!” Zack exclaimed. He stole an upside down peck. “I’m glad you agreed. I was ready to threaten you with setting up an alarm to wake us up every hour. You’d have no reason to take the couch if we were all going to be woken up anyway, see?”

Cloud smacked him on the shoulder. “We need to get going,” he said, a smile in his voice. 

“Indeed,” Sephiroth agreed, jumping on the diversion. He made to rise but froze. He looked down at his lap. 

Maduin was sleeping lengthwise on his legs, belly up, paws curled inwards. She had been near death just yesterday; she would tire easily. 

Sephiroth looked at Cloud and Zack with a shadow of panic. “...what do I do?”

Zack’s guffaw did not wake her, and neither did Cloud picking her up. He went to settle her on Sephiroth’s pillow (“I thought we were addressing that, not enabling it”), where she curled up contentedly. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Maduin: alternative spelling of Madeen, an FF9 summon that uses holy magic.


End file.
